Is PGA Tour planning to implement a 'Rory McIlroy rule' so players can't skip playoffs?

USA Today

15 hours ago

Rory McIlroy is skipping the FedEx Cup's first playoff – the event sponsored by the PGA Tour's biggest sugar daddy, FedEx.
McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion and world No. 2, is the only eligible player from the field of 70 that is skipping out on the $20 million purse at this week's FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis at TPC Southwind.
Peter Malnati, a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, was asked if he was concerned that one of the top players elected not to compete in one of the three legs of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
'Very concerned,' he said.
This year is considered a bridge year for the FedEx Cup playoffs and the Tour Championship, in particular. After several months of debating numerous potential formats, the Tour reached an unanimous decision to ditch the much-beleaguered Starting Strokes format and reinstitute a format where all 30 contestants that make it to East Lake for the final leg of the playoffs will begin the 72-hole stroke-play championship at even par.
However, the Tour didn't close the loophole that allows McIlroy, who with three wins this year has amassed 3,444 FedEx Cup points to rank second to Scottie Scheffler. On Sunday, McIlroy banked a cumulative $10 million in bonus money for his successes in the regular season and he's in line for two more paydays in addition to his winnings in the remaining two playoff events should he choose to compete. He's already mathematically locked up a berth in the second playoff event, the BMW Championship, reserved for the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings, and the Tour Championship, which pits the top 30, in Atlanta. Technically, there's no consequences for McIlroy electing to take the week off during the FedEx St. Jude. The playoff events offer four times the points (with 2,000 being awarded to the winner) so not playing ostensibly could cost him a few spots in the season-long standings and effect his bonus after the BMW depending on who plays well in Memphis.
But when asked if any measures will be added in the future to prevent McIlroy or any other players from taking the week off during the playoffs, Malnati said, 'I think there is stuff in the works and I'll leave it at that.'
Webb Simpson, a fellow player director on the Tour board, didn't elaborate if it would be a rule or a penalty implemented to discourage others from skipping playoff events in the future and didn't have a problem with McIlroy's decision.
'I think it's too hard of a thing to make guys have to play. We're still a sport where you can play when you want to play,' Simpson said.
He recalled that in 2020, he ranked third in the FedEx Cup and withdrew from the BMW Championship to prioritize rest and preparation ahead of the Tour Championship.
'I knew I couldn't fall more than one spot and I thought losing one stroke at East Lake was worth a week of rest because I was toast,' he said. 'I don't know Rory's reason but I totally get it. It's a hard to thing to fix.'
Simpson isn't the only player to skip FedEx Cup playoff events before, either. Tiger Woods skipped the inaugural FedEx Cup event in 2007, citing fatigue after back-to-back victories at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship. He would go on to win the final two playoff events and claim the first Cup. He also withdrew from the Northern Trust in 2019, the first playoff event, citing an oblique strain.
Jim Furyk famously missed the 2010 Barclays, a FedEx Cup playoff event at the time, due to oversleeping after his alarm clock battery died and being late for his pro-am tee time. He still managed to win the FedEx Cup title that year.
McIlroy, who is planning to play several international events later this year, including in India and Australia, should be commended for being a global player, but this can't sit well with FedEx. One could argue that this is no different than a division champ receiving a post-season bye in other sports, but McIlroy's action diminishes the Tour's product and doesn't show much respect for FedEx's $100 million annual commitment. He made his intentions known that he would skip the first playoff event nearly a year ago, and hasn't been shy about saying that TPC Southwind isn't his cup of tea. 'I finished, basically, dead last there (last) year, and only moved down one spot in the playoff standings," he told The Telegraph last November. [He actually finished second-to-last in 2024 but who's counting? He also missed the cut in 2022 when the field was 125 players. In 2023, he did finish T-3.]
The show will go on in Memphis with 69 not 70 players but expect there to be a more severe penalty instituted for players who don't play all three playoff events if eligible.
'You might have 1-2 guys do that for an event but I don't think it will become a thing because they are still huge events against the best players in the world,' Jordan Spieth, a former Tour policy player director, said. 'I think they're trying to figure out how to make sure you don't skip both of them and ideally neither of them.'
It will be an interesting case study into the style of new Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and how he handles this delicate situation with his biggest sponsor and most popular player. In an era where the Tour likes to talk about what is best for the fan, Rolapp knows from his days at the NFL that a true playoff needs consequences. It's stuff such as McIlroy skipping the first playoff event that damages the credibility of the FedEx Cup just as the Tour is renewing efforts yet again to present its season finale as a legacy-making event. It's time for Rolapp to close the playoff loophole and when he does it should be referred to as the McIlroy Rule.